I have lost my business Landline connection/number

[FarmerGeorge]

Ok so this is a bit of a long story.....
We are situated in a very rural area with 4 properties sharing identical post codes and almost identical addresses. Having been on holiday for a month or so I came back to find that my supplier (Unicom) have cut my phone off. There was no issue with payments etc, the reason for being cut off was because of a mix up with a close neighbours property. We have a new neighbour in the next property. His supplier wrongly cut our connection somehow. Unicom say it will take up to a month to reconnect me and I will need to enter a 24 month contract. (Before this I was out of contract)
 I have decided to use the opportunity to move to BT as I'm not impressed with Unicom at all.
It is critical that we keep the same number as we run a business and  have all our stationery printed with it and we have had the same number since 1959.  We were disconnected on 16th February and have been trying since then to get  reconnected with no luck. I have now had 3 agreements issued from BT and each one states that we will be given a new number and the old one will be lost forever. The advisers all tell me this will not happen, but the agreements still state this. When I speak with an advisor they are all very very helpful, pleasant and understanding. But they all say slightly different things and I'm worried sick we will lose our number permanently. Each time I speak with them they issue another agreement for me which I understand delays my connection further. I have also been advised that my original number will be quarantined for a month, after which it will be available for re allocation. I really need a solution fast.  If anyone has any ideas that would be great. Thank you in advance.

[AdamC]

Hi,

Unfortunately phone numbers are not guaranteed. Any new order being placed at the moment with BT Business would be with a digital line. A digital line can either take over a working land line number or create a new one. It can not take over an inactive number, which your number will be at the moment. If you are placing the order with BT Business then you would be looking at a new number.

I am sorry but in this scenario you might not be able to get the number back unless a phone line can be installed with the number requested but BT Business do not do this anymore.

Thank you

Adam

[FarmerGeorge]

To me this is an extremely unfair and difficult position. How can it be fair ?
Not suggesting this has happened, but in theory it could. So the company just cancel my number to force me into a 24 month contract.

[BethM]

Hi FarmerGeorge

Once a number is available (so out of quarantine) we can look to take it but there is no way for us to guarantee a number whatsoever, especially if it wasn't our number to begin with.